"Roomates" by Good Grim is a dreamy piece of sound, reflective and shaded by melancholy clouds but not overly sad. It sounds like something you would hear over or under a piece of cinema that has to do with an overwhelming struggle. I could see this grace an episode of The Handsmaid's Tale, for example. The sort of rushed tones, percussive and pushed bass, drone of sounds, sense of ambiance that always draws me to the past, counterpoised guitar lines harmonized with backing vox and Trevor Free's natural croon, "it feels like a sin again", has all the makings of plaintive sort of sadcore art rock. Good Grim is Utah based Trevor Free's (Sister Adolescent) solo project, which is impressive. It is important on a solo project for it to not sound like one and Good Grim moves and feels like a full band. It also feels easily wrought, like it's birth was not problematic but things aren't always as they seem.
Free talks about the songs creation and what informs him as an artist:
[“My influences are mostly ambient and jazz,” says Free. “I listen to a lot of the modal John Coltrane stuff pretty religiously( A Love Supreme, Impressions) and find a lot of enjoyment in just about everything Harold Budd (particularly, The Serpent [In Quicksilver]) has done. I also find some inspiration in post-rock artists like Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Hip-hop and jazz artists like Freddie Gibbs and BADBADNOTGOOD. While I find most of my inspiration in those lanes, the music obviously doesn't sound like those artists--I feel like the music ends up sounding more like Radiohead, Portishead, or Bjork. I grew up listening to those acts and I think their influences-- especially from a production standpoint-- speak for themselves in the music.”
“For more info on this song in particular-- I wrote this song early in 2020 as a demo on an iphone voice recorder. It took about a year for the song to become what it was, I tracked another demo in March with instruments-- the original files got corrupted so I tracked another in December, and then we scrapped most of those tracks in Eric Robertsons' studio from March- April, 2021, and re recorded what you hear now. It's definitely the most meticulous and the longest process of any track I've ever done in my life but I'm in a really good place with where it's at now. Sure, it's the classic conundrum of working on a piece of art and reviewing it so often that you can't tell objectively if it's good, or if it's dog shit; however, I've put enough of myself and emotional energy into this track to feel good about it's final destination.”]
"Roomates" is Good Grim's second release from the debut full length "Enchantment", the slow burn. "Fear of God", the first release dropped in March. [Free wrote and tracked all songs from 2020-2021 either in his home in Utah, or with long-time collaborator, Eric Robertson (New Shack), at Pleasant Pictures Studios, also in Utah. Robertson produced and mixed all of the tracks on the upcoming record, with the exception of the efforts from Seattle based drummer, Seth Ringger, tracking drums from his home studio. Enchantment is set to release summer of 2021.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
spotify
distrokid
good grim is the moniker for the art-rock solo project led by Utah-based musician, Trevor Free. Free first emerged under the dream-pop act, Sister Adolescent, crafting a style rooted in hazy synths combined with post-rock crescendos. good grim finds less ground in the dream-pop genre; while still buried under reverberated and lush instrumentals, the atmosphere is darker and one that finds more in common with other art-rock contemporaries. "Fear of God" is the first studio single release on good grim's upcoming LP, Enchantment set to be released in the summer of 2021.
No comments:
Post a Comment